Lucet, which provides tech-enabled behavioral health services to payers and provider organizations, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Emcara Health, a value-based medical group that provides home-based care to high-risk populations. Financial terms were not disclosed. According to the announcement, the acquisition will address the growing need for integrated care models that are aligned with…

Approximately 75% of surveyed U.S. health care provider organizations and payer organizations increased their spending on information technology (IT) in 2024. For both provider organizations and payers, the need for IT investment in cybersecurity was amplified by the February 2024 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, which affected 70% of the organizations participating in the survey. This…

Integrating all or some of the key elements of the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) into primary care practice decreased suicide risk levels, attempts, and deaths, with reductions ranging from 25% to 56%, according to three “real-world” studies. The CoCM is a specific method for integrating treatment for many mental health and addiction disorders into primary…

Paytient, which provides health care payment solutions for consumers, secured a $40 million growth capital investment from Trinity Capital. The funding will support Paytient’s expansion into large group employer-sponsored plans, alternative health plans, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, and Medicare. The Paytient solution offers health plan-embedded out-of-pocket affordability and cost-smoothing solutions as part of…

Three California health plans are partnering on a statewide shared value-based payment (VBP) model that will include 10 provider organizations representing over 100 sites of care. The health plans—Aetna, Blue Shield of California, and Health Net—are participating in the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative’s Payment Model Demonstration Project, which is led by the California Quality…

Medicare payment models tested by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) cost the federal government $7.7 billion, which included $6.4 billion in model net expenses and $1.3 billion in model-specific implementation and evaluation costs. Of the 18 CMMI models analyzed by health care consulting firm Avalere Health Advisory, six yielded net savings of…

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last month that it is ending four Innovation Center models early: Primary Care First, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices, Making Care Primary, and Maryland Total Cost of Care. The models will end by December 31, 2025. Additionally, two previously announced but not yet implemented models…

On August 1, 2024, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released accreditation standards for Virtual Primary Care and Urgent Care. The standards address the structural components of virtual care delivery, such as care coordination between clinical professionals and care settings, tracking outcomes, and identifying gaps and opportunities to improve. The standards are intended for…